Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy
On July 22nd, ACE took a private tour of Rodney Alan Greenblat‘s show, “Something to Look Forward to” hosted by the artist himself! It was a wonderful show and we are so appreciative to Rodney and Hudson Hall for hosting our group. Don’t miss it! There are safe, timed, socially distant viewings on their website.
Connect with Rodney and/or Hudson Hall!
Rodney Alan Greenblat
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Visit The Rodney Shop in Catskill!
Hudson Hall
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Landscape painter Takeyce Walter lives in Round Lake in Saratoga County, where she has an art studio in sight of the marsh and lake. But don’t let the timeless serenity of her landscapes fool you, because Takeyce knows how to hustle. First off, she is one of the region’s most successful painters and instructors. Second, she’s a mom to three children, with two young ones at home. Third, she works a full-time job as a video producer. Yes, you read that right.
ACE asked Takeyce about how she balances her work and art, whether she had black female artist role models, and more. Plus, watch her in action, as she creates a wonderful pastel landscape in the video, below.
Image courtesy North Country Public Radio.
Website: TakeyceArt.com
Instagram: @takeycewalter
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Meet Tim Walton, the mastermind behind #TimsNYKitchen, an Instagram site with over 12,ooo followers. Tim travels, eats and drinks his way through the Capital Region, and we asked him to pick his favorite brewery / restaurant. So — drum roll, please — here’s Tim’s pick: Mad Jack Brewing Co. in Schenectady. Read on to find out why Tim’s mad about Mad Jack.
To find 100+ more CapNY breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries, click here!
Mad Jack Brewing Co. is Schenectady’s first craft brewery, located in Schenectady’s beautiful and historic Stockade District. It opened in 2011. The brewery is tied together with The Van Dyck, a charming building that has hosted many wonderful talents, including great jazz musicians such as Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Mose Allison, Marian McPartland, Coleman Hawkins, Hank Jones and Thelonious Monk.
If the walls could speak I think they would ramble on forever and a day about all the great times and bad times it has experienced throughout its history. The Van Dyck opened in 1947 by Harlem refugee Marvin Friedman and since 2009, has been owned by the McDonald family.
Take a seat at the bar and one will find that they have 10+ house taps at any given time. The Master Brewer, Brian Conley puts a lot of love into the brews he creates and is very passionate about what he produces. He’s not afraid to try new things with his ‘Mad Science’ line of brews and collaborations with many local bars/breweries. Some of my favorite’s brews are the Fightin’ Irwin IPA, Mohawk Sunset and Electric Hefe. The Fightin’ Irwin IPA actually has a true fighting story with a happy ending. The beer is named after two McDonald cousins that would fight but shortly after, would patch things up over a beer. I think it’s great that beer can have the positive influence of binding people together even when things aren’t perfect.
Mad Jack offers some wonderful eats to enjoy as well. They recently have revamped their menu and there’s something for everyone. I recently tried their new buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich. This sandwich consists of buttermilk-soaked tenders, floured and fried with bacon, lettuce, tomato, spicy pepper jack cheese & chipotle mayo for that extra oomph.
Their staff, from bartenders to cooks, are super friendly and always go above and beyond to assist. Mad Jack supports many positive local efforts throughout the community and is willing to help out whenever they are able. If you haven’t visited here, I strongly recommend it. If you have, you know what I write to be true. Keep your eyes peeled for more articles about local breweries, as I sip and taste my way through New York’s Cap Region.
Mad Jack Brewing Company
Address: 237 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12305
Phone: 518-348-7999
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Connect with Tim!
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Weary, tired, brave, bruised, and raw, Steve Derrick’s paintings depict the spirit of healthcare heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Derrick has painted more than 70 portraits of doctors, nurses and other workers from the Cap Region to Italy, Spain, the UK, and cities across the globe.
A resident of Clifton Park and Director of Organizational Development at digital game giant Vicarious Visions, Derrick is an artist in many senses of the word. To escape the overwhelm of the pandemic, he engaged in painting. He says, “there was so much negativity on the news. This gave me something positive to think about while sitting in quarantine.”
We sat down with Derrick at Albany Center Gallery (ACG), where he exhibited his work in a show called “Healing: Portraits of the Pandemic…” Watch the video below!
Derrick began posting his paintings on social media and they received immediate attention. This was new territory for him; he usually doesn’t show his work. He credits ACE with being the first outlet to cover his paintings. His work inspired us to begin the ACE Creatives in Quarantine Gallery, which received coverage from the Times Union. This was just the beginning of the national attention Derrick has received.
KUTV 2 in Utah aired Derrick’s story a few weeks ago. On July 17th, he was featured on CBS News “On the Road with Steve Hartman.” Watch the video below!
After including their professionals in some paintings, Albany Medical Center acknowledged and thanked him in their weekly update, after he painted several of their staff.
On July 21st, Derrick was also featured in a CNN article, which can be read here!
You can view more of his work by visiting the gallery or by following him on Facebook or Instagram.
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Kulton The Maker is a music star and entrepreneur on the rise in Hudson. His music pulls in elements from R&B, hip hop, pop, and other genres. His melodic vibes, rhythmic smoothness and thoughtful lyrics made us want to learn more about where he has been and where he is going…read on!
How did you become enthralled in the music scene?
Before I started making music, I founded 518 Films. I wanted to shoot music videos. Originally, I was an actor, a director, and was part of a lot of plays in musical theater and Shakespeare. I wanted roles where I could direct a narrative for People of Color but kept getting violent, villainous, and misogynistic roles.
After dropping out of Full Sail University, I bought a camera, started teaching myself film and began freelancing. After shooting some music videos, I got booked to film a music tour documentary for Lady Moon and the Eclipse (also from the Hudson area).
Did your work and experience with Lady Moon and the Eclipse inspire you to take the leap into making music?
I was riding in a van with some band members on tour and at the time, there was some music I had been working on. I hadn’t released it yet, but I played one of my songs for them, without telling them it was me, and they were like “wow, who is this?” They didn’t believe me when I told them it was me. After that, they offered me a job opening up for them, in addition to filming the documentary. We stopped in Jersey, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and New Orleans. I toured with them three times and also had the opportunity to shoot a music video with Young Paris, an artist who signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label.
Inspired by what I saw on tour, I thought to myself, “I can do this.” I started recording A Beautiful Something, which was in production over three years – that was the birth of Kulton The Maker. I’m currently working on a new project. I just released a single last week, “In The Mood,” you can listen to it here.
What challenges have you faced along your journey?
Systemic racism. I’ve been told that I’m not “good enough” because of the color of my skin. They told me I couldn’t do or be certain things. People called me white because I spoke properly. I haven’t let that narrative defeat me. I’ve made it my life’s work to combat that narrative and change the way people see themselves. If you listen for it, you’ll hear some of these thoughts in my music.
What piece of advice would you like to leave for aspiring musicians and entrepreneurs?
Never give up. Go beyond your limits. Take in as much valid and factual information as you can. Do the research. Self-study. I want people to wake up and realize they have value. We have to come together to make this planet sustainable and livable for ALL OF US, or it won’t work for any of us. I want to see the world change.
Hear more of his music:
“A Beautiful Something” Album: Spotify, Apple, YouTube
New Single, “In The Mood”: Spotify, Apple, Youtube
Connect with Kulton The Maker
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